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Southwestern Historical Quarterly

YOUR EXCELLENCY:Since last December I have been busy visiting my diocese, whichincludes also the province of Texas, whose extreme eastern boundaryborders on the United States. In that part (although on the east[west], north and south it is unpopulated) there are more than twothousand Frenchmen within my diocese. Although they are Catholics,they live forgetful of their religion and without the observance ofthe sacraments. At the same time that they profit from our dominionsat their own free and uncontrolled will and pleasure without payingtribute nor tax and without recognizing as superior our authority,they serve as agents for the contraband trade, robbery and cupidityof the Anglo-Americans.These circumstances compelled me to undertake a trip to thosesettlements, which I succeeded in entering in the midst of acclama-tions and demonstrations of happiness and rejoicing on the part ofthose inhabitants. At my presence they felt encouraged to confess,to be confirmed and to have sanctioned many marriages that werenull. They also agreed with me that priests should be permanentlyestablished there.I would say nothing of these matters to Your Excellency if thissame journey had not given me an understanding of this province,which as a public service I give to Your Excellency.From La Bahia del Espiritu Santo [Goliad], from where I set out,to the region where the Frenchmen live on the borders of the UnitedStates, there is an unpopulated area of over two hundred leaguescontaining no settlement other than that of our Nacogdoches Presidio,and some small farms in its vicinity. At the beginning all the countryis composed of broken hillocks, on whose descent is found at greatintervals good running streams, cut to pieces by the sand and debristhat the winds and storms have amassed. The ground is more likea rug than a delightful meadow, for from time to time are foundfields of exquisite flowers. Generally speaking this region is like thepastures of Aranjuez, although with an incomparable advantage, forhere the large trees are of the tallest cedars, different species of wal-nut, entire leagues of sassafras, and innumerable medicinal plants.Among these is the very abundant "viperina," the tea of the Indian,which is a very good stomach tonic, the sarsaparilla, the gentiansand others with which I am not acquainted.About the middle of the province begin the ranges of ruggedmountains that extend to the Mississippi. In between them areplains or small valleys and each one of them is strictly speaking abotanical garden. Among the very massive and unknown trees arethose of the sugar maple and the wax myrtle. The woods end ingreat streams filled with beavers. The strangest thing about the landis that on the mountains themselves and in some of their valleys,the ground is covered with vines that bear a delicious grape in the